It's no secret that the popularity of newspapers and magazines is on a steep decline. And while this may seem like the death of print marketing, it's far from it.
In fact, more and more marketers are using print to craft highly personalized and authentic messages to hyper-targeted audiences. Additionally, distributed organizations are empowering local franchisees with the tools and resources to execute timely, relevant print offers to consumers.
And local franchisees are seeing a ton of success!
The response rate for direct-mail marketing is 37% higher than the email rate.
If your multi-located business is underutilizing print, there's still time to right the ship. With some time and effort, your business can start "winning" at print marketing. As an experienced brand management solutions provider, we've worked hand-in-hand with some of the world's most recognized multi-located enterprises. We've seen what works and what doesn't work when it comes to print marketing for business and we're ready to share these expert tips and strategies with you.
5 Expert Tips to Win at Print Marketing for Business
Are you ready to scale your print marketing to all-new heights? Follow these expert tips and tricks to forge your path towards print marketing success:
1. Incorporate a Call-to-Action
The best-of-the-best distributed organizations know that adding a call-to-action to all print pieces is singlehandedly the easiest thing you can do to encourage customer engagement. In marketing, a call-to-action helps convert a view, visitor, or reader into a lead. Here are a few actions an audience can get called to carry out:
- Sign Up
- Subscribe
- Try for Free
- Get Started
- Learn More
As a best practice, consider attaching a URL to your call-to-action. In this way, you can better measure your print marketing effectiveness. For example, if you are trying to promote a special sales event, add a unique URL to your direct mailer to visit a special sales page on your website. How many visits did you get to the page? What type of messaging resonated with your customers? Use this data to fine-tune future print marketing promotions.
2. Use Localized Imagery
According to recent reports, personalization in print marketing leads to sales life of 19 percent. Moreover, the ability to customize print templates is one of the most desired features of local marketing automation and brand management tools.
The fact is, personalization in print is a common tactic that marketers use to achieve higher response rates from local prospects and customers. A personalized print asset can come in many forms including a mailer or package addressed to the customer by name or a coupon that references customers' recent purchases.
Many industry-leading distributed organizations infuse great localized imagery into print assets. For example, local marketers in Kalamazoo, MI might incorporate a few recognizable images of popular downtown attractions into their pamphlets. They might even include a few images of people that live in the area (age, race, etc). This is a great tactic if want to make your print marketing more relatable and attractive.
Related: How to Use Local Marketing Automation to Create Personalized Print Campaigns
3. Invest in a Variety of Print Marketing Channels
The strongest distributed organizations invest in a variety of print marketing channels including magazine, newspaper, direct mailers, pamphlets, product sheets, and more. By investing in a wide variety of print mediums, you'll be giving your business the greatest chance of being seen.
And don't skimp out on in-store signage!
The human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than textual information. Additionally, people are twice as likely to remember printed information. For distributed brands of all kinds, including dealerships, print in-store signage can be a valuable tool. For example, local dealerships might invest in some window signage that highlights a seasonal sale on the latest makes and models.
4. Make it Easy With Brand Management Software
The right technology-driven processes can support your brand management team and local marketers' objectives of getting quality print materials at the door quickly and with minimal risk of error. In most cases, brand management software makes print marketing localization simple and intuitive. For example, most providers offer automated tools for auto-populating local information into print designs.
Additionally, with flexible approval loops and restricted content settings, teams can easily approve printed designs and manage content for increased compliance and quality in print.
Related: 3 Distributed Brands That Create Beautiful Print Marketing Campaigns
5. Improve Print Marketing Fulfillment
How are you handling print fulfillment across the distributed environment? Depending on your business model and relationship with regional and local teams, fulfilling print requests can be incredibly complex. In the d0-it-yourself model, franchisees are required to find printers on their own. Unfortunately, this can lead to massive cost overruns. Additionally, sourcing printers takes a ton of time and effort.
Many brand management tools integrate nicely with popular printers. In just a few clicks, local marketers can customize and send printed assets out for fulfillment – it's that easy!
Revolutionize Your Print Marketing Strategy With CampaignDrive
The world's most effective distributed organizations follow these (and other) tips to achieve print marketing mastery. With consistent processes, the right print marketing assets, and technology that enables local marketers to build, distribute, and manage print campaigns, print is one of the most powerful marketing channels out there. Has your distributed organization unlocked the power of print?
If you're ready to take the next step towards print marketing success, we recommend downloading our free guide. In this ebook, you'll discover how major brands successfully implement print marketing at scale. These pages are jam-packed with tips from the trenches of distributed marketing (at the world's largest brands) to help you work smarter, not harder.
